Picnic table and grill at Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Salvo Day Use Area
The only spots specifically designated for picnicking at Cape Hatteras National Seashore are on Hatteras Island: the Salvo Day Use Area and the Buxton Woods Picnic Area near the Hatteras Island Visitor Center.
The Salvo Day Use Area is just south of the town of Salvo and is Hatteras Island’s main public access area to the Pamlico Sound. It has a bathhouse, picnic tables and grills, and a huge parking lot with an enormous field in the middle. I did not make a head count of tables and grills, but I estimate there are a half dozen tables and at least two grills. The Pamlico Sound beach is the perfect place for families with toddlers, for it is really more like a lake than the ocean. However, the beach is very small and thin and has as much grassy area as sandy area.
Bathhouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Salvo Day Use Area
Pamlico Sound at the Salvo Day Use Area in Cape Hatteras National Seashore
The Buxton Woods Picnic Area is near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. If you are coming down Lighthouse Road from NC-12, instead of turning left to go to the Visitor Center and Lighthouse, stay straight and use the parking lot just past the turnoff. The Buxton Woods Nature Trail is at this location as well. There are 17 tables and 2 grills spread out across a fairly large, wooded area.
Buxton Woods Picnic Area on Hatteras Island in Cape Hatteras National Seashore
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Last updated on March 13, 2024
